Ellen DeGeneres has chalked her decision to leave the U.S. down to President Donald Trump's re-election.
Ahead of the U.S. elections in November, DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi bought what they initially intended to be a "part-time house" in the U.K., but that all changed after Trump became president.
"We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, 'He got in,'" DeGeneres told a crowd at the Everyman Theatre in the southern English town of Cheltenham on Sunday, according to CNN. "And we're like, 'We're staying here.'"
DeGeneres also spoke candidly about the "unpleasant" way her show ended, having wrapped up "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2022 after facing allegations of a toxic work culture two years earlier.
Last year, she announced that she is "done" after her Netflix special. At the time, DeGeneres said she had been "kicked out of show business for being mean," according to SFGate.
"No matter what, any article that came up, it was like, 'She's mean', and it's like, how do I deal with this without sounding like a victim or 'poor me' or complaining? But I wanted to address it," she said.
"It's as simple as, I'm a direct person, and I'm very blunt, and I guess sometimes that means that ... I'm mean?" she continued, adding that it is "hurtful" that, regardless of what she said, it appears as if the reputation is here to stay.
"I hate it. I hate that people think that I'm that because I know who I am, and I know that I'm an empathetic, compassionate person," she said.
During a comedy show last year, while reflecting on the backlash that arose after the 2020 allegations of a hostile work environment and sexual misconduct on the set of her talk show, DeGeneres said she realized her sensitivity.
"I used to say, 'I don't care what people say about me,' " she admitted. "Now I realize I said that during the height of my popularity."
Next time, she would be "kicked out for being old. Old, gay, and mean, the triple crown."
Addressing the toxic workplace controversy, DeGeneres admitted she can be "demanding and impatient and tough."
"I am a strong woman. I am many things, but I am not mean," she added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.